Mass Effect Andromeda: 15 Hidden Easter Eggs & Secrets You Need To Find

1. The Illusive Man's Influence (Mass Effect 2/3)

Speaking of nods to the original trilogy, Andromeda has two, and although you could shrug both off as coincidence, they're so on-the-nose, it just has to be intentional.

First up, Cora Harper, the Asari huntress who doubled as Alex Ryder's next in command, and who you can optionally romance (if you're male, she's straight). That surname alone should give you a clue as The Illusive Man's real name was Jack Harper, revealed in the Mass Effect Evolution comics, and if you talk to Cora about her father, she notes he was a "prickly old b*stard" and "more a mentor than a friend", before referring to him as a "genius" that she respected, and one she was fairly honest and frank with.

All of this sounds like The Illusive Man's character to a tee.

Second - and even better - is the mysterious 'Benefactor' you can hear about in Alec Ryder's various memory nodes. The Benefactor never uses one single face, instead appearing on vidcom as a variety of races cutting between one another. We know it isn't the Shadow Broker, as he appears in a different audio log entirely, and being Alec Ryder fought in the First Contact Wars at the same time - or alongside - The Illusive Man, it's very likely the two share the same drive for exploration.

If true, all of this binds the Andromeda Initiative's funding to Cerberus and The Illusive Man - something we'll most likely see come back around in the next game (depending on if this proves to be a death knell, after all).

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Are there any other easter eggs, secrets and references you've found? Let us know in the comments!